Facing walls of buildings

ABSTRACT

A panel wall in which each panel has a substantially rectangular body provided with a flange extending along the top and down one side edge of the body, the front face of the flange, except for a portion of the corner thereof, lying in a plane through the rear edge of the body of the panel and the corner portion being set back rearwardly so that its front face lies in a plane through the rear face of the remainder of the flange. Each panel comprises a shell moulded in glass fiber reinforced polyester and fitted with an internal frame of wood or alternatively filled with concrete. The panels are arranged in a regular formation aligned horizontally and vertically with the body of each panel overlapping the flanges of adjacent panels. At the corner junction between four contiguous panels, the end of the flange on the lower right panel overlaps part of the corner portion of the lower left panel, the end of the flange on the upper left panel overlaps another part of the corner portion of the lower left panel, and the body of the upper right panel overlaps the flanges on the lower right and upper left panels including the ends thereof which overlap parts of the corner portion of the lower left panel. The panels are secured together by bolts extending through the flange and overlapping body of each pair of adjacent panels.

I United States Patent 1 1 1111 3,731,441

Dixon 1 1 May 8, 1973 [54] FACING WALLS OF BUILDINGS [57] ABSTRACT [76]Inventor: Jack Kenneth Dixon, 23, Dunstan A panel wall in which eachpanel has a substantially Road, London,N.W. 11,England rectangular bodyprovided with a flange extending alon the to and down one side ed e ofthe bod the [22] Filed; 1972 front face 0 the flange, except fo aportion o f the [21] Appl. No.: 234,773 corner thereof, lying in a planethrough the rear edge of the body of the panel and the corner portionbeing [30] Forelgn Apphcanon Pnonty Data set back rearwardly so that itsfront face lies in a plane March 16, 1971 Great Britain .70 38/71thtehgh the teat thee 0f the remainder of the flange- Each panelcomprises a shell moulded in glass fiber CL reinforced polyester andfitted with an internal frame 52/592 of wood or alternatively filledwith concrete. The [51] Int. Cl ..E04f 13/08, E04c 2/22 panels arearranged in a regular formation aligned [58] Field of Search ..52/204,385-387, horizontally and vertically with the body of each panel52/390-392,394,506,5l8,52l,542, 529, overlapping the flanges of adjacentpanels. At the 530, 536, 592 corner junction between four contiguouspanels, the end of the flange on the lower right panel overlaps [56]References Cited part of the corner portion of the lower left panel, theend of the flange on the upper left panel overlaps UNITED STATES PATENTSanother part of the corner portion of the lower left 443,323 12/1890Kinnear ..52 394 x P and the of the upper right Pehel overlaps 1,740,74912 1929 Shuman .52 513 the flanges the lower right and pp left Ptmels2,239,011 4 1941 Meslin ..52/592x eluding the ends thereof which OverlapParts Of the 2,649,172 8/1953 Allen ..52 592 rn r portion f the lowerleft panel. The panels are 2,676,481 4/1954 Hoffman ..52/396 securedtogether by bolts extending through the flange 2,745,523 5/1956 Biggs..52/521 and overlapping body of each pair of adjacent panels.

20 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures I 25 72 E l 76 1 1 I 1 I 0 1 I T :T l H W 11 l 1 1 t "l 1 I 1 l-17 17g.

; I a 1 1t l 1 1l l Patented May 8, 1973 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May8, 1973 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FACING WALLS or BUILDINGS This inventionrelates to panel walls comprising structural cladding panels arranged inoverlapping relationship and forming facing walls of a building.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction ofpanel wall in which four contiguous panels overlap in a common cornerjunction.

According to the present invention there is provided a panel wall inwhich, at a corner junction between four panels, the body of the firstpanel has a flange projecting laterally outwards and consisting of twoside portions at the sides of the body and a corner portion integralwith the side portions and extending around the corner of the body, thefront face of the corner portion being set back rearwardly with respectto the front faces of the two side portions of the flange, the body ofthe second panel has a flange on one side thereof, which flange is setback rearwardly with respect to the body of the second panel at saidcorner junction, the other side of the body of the second panel at saidcorner junction overlapping one of said side portions of the first panelflange and the second panel flange overlapping one part of the cornerportion of the first panel flange, the body of the third panel has aflange on one side thereof, which flange is set back rearwardly withrespect to the body of the third panel at said corner junction, theother side of the body of the third panel at said corner junctionoverlapping the other of said side portions of the first panel flangeand the third panel flange overlapping another part of the cornerportion of the first panel flange, and the two sides of the body of thefourth panel at said corner junction overlap the flanges on the secondand third panels including the parts of said flanges which overlap thecorner portion of the first panel flange.

The panel wall of the invention has the advantage that only two flangesare in overlapping relationship at the corner junction, namely theflanges on the first and second panels and the flanges on the first andthird panels, and this feature facilitates manufacture of the panels andsimplifies weatherproof sealing between adjacent panels. Moreover wideclearance can be provided between the flanges which overlap the cornerportion of the first panel while still providing complete cover at thecorner junction, so that a wide tolerance can be permitted in thedimensions of the individual panels and in the spacing between adjacentpanels.

The front face-of the corner portion of the first panel is preferablyset back rearwardly with respect to the front faces of the side portionsof the first panel flange by a distance substantially equal to thethickness of the flanges on the second and third panels, whereby thefront faces of the flanges on the second and third panels lie in acommon plane through the front faces of the two side portions of thefirst panel flange. Such a panel wall presents a neat appearance. Thepanels can be provided with openings in which window frames can bemounted.

Each panel in the panel wall may be made of any suitable material butcan conveniently comprise a rigid shell moulded in glass fiberreinforced polyester or plastics material and shaped to form a concavebody and laterally extending flanges integral with the rear edges of thebody, the shell being reinforced to resist the wind load acting onthebuilding and also, if desired,

to provide support for other components such as floors or roofs. Thereinforcement may comprise inserts of wood or metal moulded into thebody of the panel and an additional frame secured to the inserts.Alternatively, the shell may be used as permanent shuttering forconcrete or other mouldable material poured into the body of the shell.

The panels are preferably secured together by screws which extend thoughthe flanges of each panel and clamp the flanges to the overlappingbodies of the adjacent panels. In a case in which the panels compriseshells filled with concrete, screw threaded sockets are preferablyembedded in the concrete to receive screws extending through aperturesin the flanges of adjacent panels, the screws being mounted on pressureplates which overlap the flanges.

While the panel wall of the invention could be used as the only wall ofa building, it is preferably provided with an internal lining, or usedas cladding to an external wall of a building.

A panel wall formed of structural cladding panels according to theinvention will now be described, by way of example, with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of part of the panel wall;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the panels showing the front facethereof;

FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the panel of FIG. 2 showing therear thereof;

FIG. 4 is a exploded view of the corner junction between four adjacentpanels of the wall;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the lines Vl- VI in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 7a and b shows the top and bottom edge portions of the panel wall.7

The panel wall 'is formed from an assembly of panels arranged in regularformation with the panelsaligned with one another both horizontally andvertically, the adjacent panelsbeing in overlapping relationship andclamped together. All the panels 10 in the center portion of the wallare identical, but the panels 10' and 10" at the top and bottom of thewall respectively differ slightly from the center panels 10 ashereinafter described.

Each panel 10 comprises a relatively thin outer shell formed of glassfiber reinforced polyester shaped in a mould to form a rectangularconcave body 11 having a flange 12 on two adjacent sides thereof, andtwo wooden inserts l3, 14 mounted in the body 11 and extending along theother two adjacent sides thereof. The convex surface of the body 11forms the front face of the panel.

The concave body 11 consists of a base 15 and four side walls 16, 17,18, 19, the flange 12 being integral with the rear edges of the sidewalls 16, 17. The side wall 18 is provided at its rear edge with aninwardly directed flange 20 (FIG. 6) which engages in a recess in thewooden insert 13, the rear face of the flange 20 being aligned with therear face of the insert 13. The side wall 19 is provided at its rearedge with an inwardly directed flange 21 (FIG. 5) which engages in arecess in the wooden insert 14, the rear face of the flange 21 beingaligned with the rear face of the insert 14. The rear faces of the twoflanges 20, 21 and the wooden inserts 13, 14'lie in a common planeparallel to the base 15 of the body 11. The front face of the flange 12,except for a comer portion 25 thereof, lies in the aforementioned commonplane through the rear faces of the flanges 20, 21 and inserts 13, 14and the front faces of the corner portion 25 is offset rearwardly fromthe front face of the remainder of the flange by a distance equal to thethickness of the flange 12. The corner portion 25 has a steppedconfiguration as shown in the drawings. The part of the flange 12 onside wall 16 ends in a terminal portion 27 which is space a shortdistance from the end of wall 16, the part of the flange 12 on side wall17 ends in a stepped terminal portion 28 which is spaced 2 shortdistance from the end of wall 17, and the outer edge of the flange 12between the comer portion 25 and the two terminal portions 27, 28 isturned back to form rear flanges 29, 30 as shown in FIG. 3. It will benoted that, since the two terminal portions 27, 28 do not have rearflanges and the corner portion 25 is offset rearwardly from the frontface of the remainder of flange 12 by the thickness thereof, the frontface of corner portion 25 and the rear faces of the terminal portions27, 28 all lie in a common plane. The rear edges of flanges 29, 30 andthe rear face of corner portion 25 also lie in a common plane.

The side walls 16, 17, 18 of the body 11 of the panel diverge outwardlyand rearwardly, but the side wall 19 which is the bottom of the panelwhen mounted in position, is shaped to form a channel 32 which serves asa drip for any water flowing down the front face of the panel. Thewooden inserts 13, 14 abut against the rear face of the base 15 and aresecured to the associated side walls 1 8, 19 respectively by an adhesivecomposition 33. The rear face of the wooden insert 13 is formedthroughout its length with a longitudinal groove 34 for a purposehereinafter described.

The shell of the panel is reinforced by a frame consisting of woodenbattens 40, 41 secured to the inserts 13, 14 respectively, woodenbattens 42, 43 extending along the side wall 16 and associated flange12, and a wooden batten 44 extending along the flange 12 on side wall17. Spacer strips 45 having a thickness equal to the depth of flanges29, 30 are positioned between the battens 43, 44 and the flange 12. Thebattens 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, have been omitted from FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 toillustrate more clearly other features of the panel.

The panels 10 are arranged with the flange 20 and insert 13 on eachpanel overlapping the flange 12 on side wall 16 of the adjacentleftpanel as shown in FIG. 6 and the flange 21 and insert 14 on eachpanel overlapping the flange 12 on side wall 17 of the adjacent lowerpanel as shown in FIG. 5, with a wide gap being provided between theside walls 16, 18 and 17, 19 on adjacent panels. At the corner junctionbetween each group of four contiguous panels 10 the stepped terminalportion 28 on the lower right panel overlaps the lower part of thecorner portion 25 of the lower left panel, and the terminal portion 27on the upper left panel overlaps the upper part of corner portion 25 onthe lower left panel. The corner of the upper right panel overlaps theterminal portions 27, 28 on the upper left and lower right panels. Asshown in the drawings, the tenninal portion 28 is spaced with wideclearance from the inner edge of the corner portion 25 and has a step 38which is aligned with a step 39 on the inner edge of the comer portion25.

The panels are secured together by screws 48 which extend through thebatten 43 and the flange 12 on side wall 16 and are screwed into insert13, and by screws 49 which extend through the batten 44 and the flange12 on side wall 17 and are screwed into insert 14. The groove 34 on therear face of insert 13 is filled with a sealing compound prior toassembly of the panels, the plastic composition providing a waterproofseal along the vertical junction line between adjacent panels.

Each of the panels 10' at the top of the panel wall is similar inconstruction to the center panels 10 except that the corner portion 25is rectangular as shown in FIG. 7a and the terminal portion 28 of flange12 which overlaps the corner portion 25 of the adjacent panel is alsorectangular to conform therewith.

Each of the panels 10" at the bottom of the panel wall is similar inconstruction to the center panels 10 except that the terminal portion 27extends to the lower end of the side wall 16 as shown in FIG. 7b so thatits lower edge is in line with the lower edge of the wall and presents aneat appearance.

The panel wall may be used to form a facing wall on a building frame, inwhich case the panel wall need only transmit the wind loads to the frameand support the weight of any windows or doors. The panel wall canhowever be used without a separate frame, the panels then supporting theweight of the roof and floors and resisting the wind loads.

In the panel wall described above, the panels all overlap so that thereis no opening through the panel wall, and rain water flowing down thefront of the wall will cascade over the overlapping panels and notpenetrate the wall. Moreover, the dimensions of each panel can varywithin comparatively wide limits without impairing the weathersealing ofthe panelwall. In addition, since the front face of the flange 12 oneach panel lies in a common plane through the rear faces of the flanges20, 21, and the front face of the corner portion 25 on each panel isoffset rearwardly a distance approximately equal to the thickness offlange 12, the front faces of flanges 12 on all the panels lie in thesame plane so that the panel wall presents a neat appearance.

I claim:

1. A panel wall forming the facing wall of a building and comprisingstructural cladding panels arranged in a formation in which the adjacentcorners of four contiguous panels overlap in a common corner junction,characterized in that, at said corner junction, the body of the firstpanel has a flange projecting laterally outwards and consisting of twoside portions at the sides of the body and a corner portion integralwith the side portions and extending around the corner of the body, thefront face of the corner portion being set back rearwardly with respectto the front faces of the two side I portions of the flange, the body ofthe second panel has a flange on one side thereof, which flangeis setback rearwardly with respect to the body of the second panel at saidcorner junction, the other side of the body of the second panel at saidcorner junction overlapping one of said side portions of the first panelflange and the second panel flange overlapping one part of the cornerportion of the first panel flange, the body of the third panel has aflange on one side thereof, which flange is set back rearwardly withrespect to the body of the third panel at said corner junction, theother side of the body of the third panel at said corner junctionoverlapping the other of said side portions of the first panel flangeand the third panel flange overlapping another part of the cornerportion of the first panel flange, and the two sides of the body of thefourth panel at said corner junction overlap the flanges on the secondand third panels including the parts of said flanges which overlap thecorner portion of the first panel flange.

2. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front face of saidcorner portion is set back rearwardly with respect to the front faces ofthe side portions of the first panel flange by a distance substantiallyequal to the thickness of the flanges on the second and third panels,whereby the front faces of the flanges on the second and third panelslie in a common plane through the front faces of the two side portionsof the first panel flange.

3. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said flanges isclamped to the overlapping body of the adjacent panel.

4. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal' edge of thecomer portion of the first panel flange is formed with a step and isspaced from the body of the first panel, the end of the flange on thesecond panel is spaced from the comer of the body thereof and has a stepon the outer edge thereof aligned substantially with the step on theinternal edge of said corner portion, and the end of the flange on thethird panel is spaced from the corner of the body thereof and projectsbetween the two steps on the corner portion of the first panel flangeand the end portion of the second panel flange.

5. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein each panel comprises ashell of synthetic plastics material shaped to form a concave body andlaterally extending flanges integral with the rear edges of the body,and reinforcement means mounted inside said body.

6. A panel wall as claimed in claim 5, wherein the shell is formed bymoulding glass fiber reinforced polyester.

7. A panel wall as claimed in claim 6, wherein said reinforcement meanscomprises wooden inserts embedded in the body of the panel.

8. A panel wall as claimed in claim 6, wherein the concave body isfilled with a mouldable material which hardens to form a solid coreconstituting said reinforcement means.

9. A panel wall as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mouldable material isconcrete.

10. A panel wall as claimed in claim 5, wherein the rear end of the sidewall of the body on each panel which overlaps a flange on an adjacentpanel is turned inwards and engages in a recess in the reinforcementmeans of the panel.

11. A panel wall as claimed in claim 5, wherein the reinforcement meansin each panel support screw threaded means which extend through theunderlying flanges of adjacent panels and clamp the underlying flangesto the body of the fist mentioned panel.

12. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and secondpanels are arranged side by side and the third and fourth panels arearranged side by side directly above the first and second panelsrespectively.

13. A panel wall as claimed in claim 12, wherein a sealing strip isprovided between the body of the second panel and the side portion ofthe first panel flange which is overlapped by said body.

14. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two side portions ofthe first panel flange for said comer junction form the flanges for thesecond and third panels at adjacent comer junctions.

15. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of saidpanels are fitted with windows.

1.6. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the top panels at thetop of the wall each comprises a body having a flange projectinglaterally outwards and extending substantially along the full length ofthe top of the body and down one side thereof, a corner portion of saidflange having the front face thereof set back from the front face of theremainder of the flange by a distance substantially equal to thethickness of the flange, and an adjacent panel has the body thereofoverlapping the flange on said one side of the body of the firstmentioned top panel and the adjacent end of the flange thereofoverlapping said corner portion of the flange of the first mentioned toppanel.

17. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottom panels at thebottom of the wall each comprise a body having a flange projectinglaterally outwards and extending along a side of the body andterminating at the bottom thereof, and an adjacent panel has the bodythereof overlapping the flange on said side of the body of the firstmentioned bottom panel.

18. A structural cladding panel comprising a substantially rectangularbody having a flange projecting laterally outwards from the rear edgesof two adjacent sides of the body, said flange having two side portionsterminating close to the ends of said sides of the body which are remotefrom the corner of the body enclosed between said sides, and said flangealso having a corner portion extending around said corner of the body,the front face of the corner portion being set back rearwardly withrespect to the front faces of the two side portions of the flange by adistance substantially equal to the thickness of said side portions, andsaid corner portion being of a size such that a group of four suchpanels may be mounted with corners thereof in overlapping relationshipat a corner junction with the second panel having the body thereofoverlapping one side portion of the first panel flange and an end of oneside portion of the second panel flange overlapping part of the cornerportion of the flange on the first panel, the third panel having thebody thereof overlapping the other of said side portions of the firstpanel. flange and an end of one of the side portions of the third panelflange overlapping another part of the corner portion of the first panelflange, and the two sides of the body of the fourth panel overlappingside portions of the flanges on each of the second and third panelsincluding the parts thereof overlapping the corner portion of the firstpanel, with the front faces of the flanges on the second and thirdpanels lying in a common plane through the front facesof the two sideportions of the first panel flange.

19. A structural panel as claimed in claim 18 wherein the body andflange comprise a shell of glass fiber reinforced polyester shaped in amould, and reinforcement means are provided in the body.

20. A structural panel as claimed in claim 18, wherein the outer edgesof said side portions of the flange are turned over rearwardly andterminate at the plane passing through the rear face of the cornerportion of the flange.

1. A panel wall forming the facing wall of a building and comprisingstructural cladding panels arranged in a formation in which the adjacentcorners of four contiguous panels overlap in a common corner junction,characterized in that, at said corner junction, the body of the firstpanel has a flange projecting laterally outwards and consisting of twoside portions at the sides of the body and a corner portion integralwith the side portions and extending around the corner of the body, thefront face of the corner portion being set back rearwardly with respectto the front faces of the two side portions of the flange, the body ofthe second panel has a flange on one side thereof, which flange is setback rearwardly with respect to the body of the second panel at saidcorner junction, the other side of the body of the second panel at saidcorner junction overlapping one of said side portions of the first panelflange and the second panel flange overlapping one part of the cornerportion of the first panel flange, the body of the third panel has aflange on one side thereof, which flange is set back rearwardly withrespect to the body of the third panel at said corner junction, theother side of the body of the third panel at said corner junctionoverlapping the other of said side portions of the first panel flangeand the third panel flange overlapping another part of the cornerportion of the first panel flange, and the two sides of the body of thefourth panel at said corner junction overlap the flanges on the secondand third panEls including the parts of said flanges which overlap thecorner portion of the first panel flange.
 2. A panel wall as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the front face of said corner portion is set backrearwardly with respect to the front faces of the side portions of thefirst panel flange by a distance substantially equal to the thickness ofthe flanges on the second and third panels, whereby the front faces ofthe flanges on the second and third panels lie in a common plane throughthe front faces of the two side portions of the first panel flange.
 3. Apanel wall as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said flanges is clampedto the overlapping body of the adjacent panel.
 4. A panel wall asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the internal edge of the corner portion ofthe first panel flange is formed with a step and is spaced from the bodyof the first panel, the end of the flange on the second panel is spacedfrom the corner of the body thereof and has a step on the outer edgethereof aligned substantially with the step on the internal edge of saidcorner portion, and the end of the flange on the third panel is spacedfrom the corner of the body thereof and projects between the two stepson the corner portion of the first panel flange and the end portion ofthe second panel flange.
 5. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, whereineach panel comprises a shell of synthetic plastics material shaped toform a concave body and laterally extending flanges integral with therear edges of the body, and reinforcement means mounted inside saidbody.
 6. A panel wall as claimed in claim 5, wherein the shell is formedby moulding glass fiber reinforced polyester.
 7. A panel wall as claimedin claim 6, wherein said reinforcement means comprises wooden insertsembedded in the body of the panel.
 8. A panel wall as claimed in claim6, wherein the concave body is filled with a mouldable material whichhardens to form a solid core constituting said reinforcement means.
 9. Apanel wall as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mouldable material isconcrete.
 10. A panel wall as claimed in claim 5, wherein the rear endof the side wall of the body on each panel which overlaps a flange on anadjacent panel is turned inwards and engages in a recess in thereinforcement means of the panel.
 11. A panel wall as claimed in claim5, wherein the reinforcement means in each panel support screw threadedmeans which extend through the underlying flanges of adjacent panels andclamp the underlying flanges to the body of the fist mentioned panel.12. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and secondpanels are arranged side by side and the third and fourth panels arearranged side by side directly above the first and second panelsrespectively.
 13. A panel wall as claimed in claim 12, wherein a sealingstrip is provided between the body of the second panel and the sideportion of the first panel flange which is overlapped by said body. 14.A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two side portions of thefirst panel flange for said corner junction form the flanges for thesecond and third panels at adjacent corner junctions.
 15. A panel wallas claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of said panels are fittedwith windows.
 16. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the toppanels at the top of the wall each comprises a body having a flangeprojecting laterally outwards and extending substantially along the fulllength of the top of the body and down one side thereof, a cornerportion of said flange having the front face thereof set back from thefront face of the remainder of the flange by a distance substantiallyequal to the thickness of the flange, and an adjacent panel has the bodythereof overlapping the flange on said one side of the body of the firstmentioned top panel and the adjacent end of the flange thereofoverlapping said corner portion of the flange of the first mentioned toppanel.
 17. A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottom paNelsat the bottom of the wall each comprise a body having a flangeprojecting laterally outwards and extending along a side of the body andterminating at the bottom thereof, and an adjacent panel has the bodythereof overlapping the flange on said side of the body of the firstmentioned bottom panel.
 18. A structural cladding panel comprising asubstantially rectangular body having a flange projecting laterallyoutwards from the rear edges of two adjacent sides of the body, saidflange having two side portions terminating close to the ends of saidsides of the body which are remote from the corner of the body enclosedbetween said sides, and said flange also having a corner portionextending around said corner of the body, the front face of the cornerportion being set back rearwardly with respect to the front faces of thetwo side portions of the flange by a distance substantially equal to thethickness of said side portions, and said corner portion being of a sizesuch that a group of four such panels may be mounted with cornersthereof in overlapping relationship at a corner junction with the secondpanel having the body thereof overlapping one side portion of the firstpanel flange and an end of one side portion of the second panel flangeoverlapping part of the corner portion of the flange on the first panel,the third panel having the body thereof overlapping the other of saidside portions of the first panel flange and an end of one of the sideportions of the third panel flange overlapping another part of thecorner portion of the first panel flange, and the two sides of the bodyof the fourth panel overlapping side portions of the flanges on each ofthe second and third panels including the parts thereof overlapping thecorner portion of the first panel, with the front faces of the flangeson the second and third panels lying in a common plane through the frontfaces of the two side portions of the first panel flange.
 19. Astructural panel as claimed in claim 18 wherein the body and flangecomprise a shell of glass fiber reinforced polyester shaped in a mould,and reinforcement means are provided in the body.
 20. A structural panelas claimed in claim 18, wherein the outer edges of said side portions ofthe flange are turned over rearwardly and terminate at the plane passingthrough the rear face of the corner portion of the flange.